Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take part in today's debate and to reiterate our government's plan outlining oru immediate priorities to make life affordable for all Canadians, including Quebeckers.

I want to thank the voters of Les Pays-d'en-Haut for placing their trust in me. As a member from Quebec, I think it is important for some of my colleagues from another political party to remember that Quebeckers elected 44 Liberal members to the House of Commons. This is a historic accomplishment because it is the highest number of Liberals elected to the House since 1980 and, I should point out, it is twice the number of Bloc Québécois members elected to the House.

Quebeckers have quite simply given this government a strong mandate to fight unjustified tariffs, build a strong economy and make life more affordable. We also know that protecting the environment and economic growth are important priorities for Quebeckers. Instead of seeing those noble objectives as mutually exclusive, Quebeckers have long understood that they go hand in hand. Quebec has in fact long been a leader in fighting climate change. In 2013, Quebec established its own cap-and-trade system in order to set a price on carbon pollution. Quebec controls the design of the system and all of its revenues, which is why Canada's carbon rebate never applied in Quebec and why Quebec never expected to receive a carbon rebate. Quebec's leadership in establishing a cap-and-trade system not only predates the federal carbon pricing, it also served as a model for other jurisdictions in North America. Its ties with California through the Western Climate Initiative show that provinces can take the initiative on innovative cross-border climate solutions.

The government will always support provinces that take ambitious, innovative and responsible action to fight climate change, as Quebec did. That is why I find the Bloc Québécois motion a bit ironic. On this side of the House, we respect and appreciate the provinces and territories that have implemented their own climate policies and are aligned with our shared goal of fighting climate change. The existing system is a recognition of Quebec's unique leadership on this issue and its jurisdiction. The Bloc will surely agree with that. The rebates that applied to the federal carbon tax, which has now been cancelled, were sent to Canadians living in provinces that were part of the existing plan. Canadians in those provinces would have budgeted for that rebate, and the government decided to make things easier for them.

It is important to understand how carbon pricing works. It does not apply in provinces like Quebec that have their own carbon pricing system. In provinces where the federal system applied, all proceeds from consumer carbon pricing were returned to the province in which they has been collected. In those provinces, Canadians paid the fuel tax up until a few weeks before the final rebate was sent out. They rightfully expected to receive the final carbon tax rebate in April.

That is why the final Canada carbon rebate was issued as a transitional measure after the elimination of the consumer fuel tax. The payment was not a new benefit. It was the final instalment of a rebate for costs associated with the federal fuel tax. Quebec did not pay the federal carbon tax, so it did not receive the federal rebate. That makes perfect sense.

This situation is not unique to Quebec. The carbon rebate system did not apply in British Columbia or the territories either. People in those provinces and territories were also not entitled to the rebate. This seems to me to be a relatively simple and straightforward premise. I have a lot of respect for my colleagues in the Bloc Québécois, especially when it comes to environmental issues. However, motions like this one seek to sow division where there is none. The federal government has respected Quebec's jurisdiction over cap and trade and has worked with Quebec on environmental issues and carbon pricing.

However, the other side of this mutually beneficial relationship was simply that Quebeckers did not pay the federal carbon tax as a consumption tax. It makes no sense for refund cheques to be sent to Quebec households, since they were exempt from the system in the first place.

Quebeckers want all of the parties in this House to unite, rather than focus on motions that sow discord. They have asked us to put aside our partisan differences and stand up for Quebec industries, Quebec workers and a strong Quebec economy as part of a strong and united Canadian economy.

Tim Watchorn